Dale LeRoy Perry: Bio

Country Blues seined through my times.

Dale LeRoy Perry Bio: I was born and raised in a Midwest steel town. After a couple of weeks “working in the mill”, I met a harp player named Malcolm Gibson and that was that. Right after I started college I met these old "beats" who filled my head with life "on the road". Off I went with my axe and 20 bucks, bound for everywhere. In Chicago, Brownie McGhee told me, "you got a right to sing the blues 'cause you ain't never goin’ home". That was in 1969. Man was he right.

Claiming neither place nor stone, I have traveled and worked and played all across the U.S. of A. Back then a few of us decided that the country blues tradition should be preserved. I was enthralled with the cats being "rediscovered", like John Hurt and Lightning, and the renaissance of old country blues. While the "original" songs started coming and the guitar developed, I lived in the mountains and on the prairie and all along the gulf coast, always absorbing the music of the heartland. The only roots I had were in the blues. With time my style developed. I was taking those traditional country blues roots and writing my own tunes. I call it contemporary country blues. You got to sing about what you know, or it ain’t the blues.

I first came to Austin in the back of a Winnebago with Kenneth Threadgill in the passenger seat. After opening for him at the Rubiat in Dallas he gave me a lift for my gig at Saxon Pub, the original one, opening for Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in Austin. . Later, after becoming a seismic observer for 12 years (the earth was my guitar and dynamite my pick), I came back to Austin on breaks and played at Chicago House. I met a lot of good folks like Jimmie Lafave, and Guy Forsythe. Jimmie called me "a legend in his spare time." Funny. He told me I should move here. When the oilfield crashed, I landed in Austin to drive a cab and play music (just like Harry Chapin). I played the Saxon Pub (the current one) regularly, the Mance Lipscomb tribute at Antones’, every week at the Dam Café with Rex Whitton, and other local clubs. I played with Frumholz, Rusty Weir, Tim Henderson (he told me I should quit my day job), and Leann Atherton. Larry Nye produced my first album, “Good & Ready’.

Four years and an album later it was off to Nashville, again to drive cab and pitch songs. I made all the songwriters nights, met a lot of songwriters, and learned about the “craft“ of songwriting. After a couple of years and modicum of success, I came back to Austin and got a job (not in a cab).

Time gets away as you age seems like, just trying to survive. I had to slow down some and just do my day job. I finally recorded “Moan My Name”, a second album. In June 2009 "Live at Hyde Park Grill" was recorded with Jimmie Lee. Now, most recent album "Rough Cuts" is in the can and available soon through CDbaby.

Since April 2015 I been playing every Tuesday at the Skylark Lounge 6-8. I have been blessed to sing with Margaret Wright as her guest every Thursday or Friday at the Skylark. Life is good.